Comments on: lebanese-style stuffed eggplant

By: Natascha

Natascha — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:29:50 +0000

I have been a faithful fan of your recipes for several years when we were living in Switzerland, which is full of amazing produce of all kinds. Now, living in Sudan, I wander through the supermarket aisles wondering how many ways to cook with canned tuna and canned vegetables and how on earth we are going to live without cheese. Of course, I should have done this weeks ago, I check your recipe index and my culinary brain comes to life again. This will be a staple recipe in our new home and I will continue to explore other options to make the most of what we can find. Merci, Gracias, Shukran.

By: Layla620

Layla620 — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:52:03 +0000

Any suggestions about what to do with the leftover meat mixture? I think my eggplants are a little weany so I have at least 2 cups of meat/rice mixture left and I would hate to throw it away!

By: Annabelle

Annabelle — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 21:29:13 +0000

I just wanted to say that this recipe has become one of my staples — such a great use of lamb. Thanks for the recipe!

By: Marcie

Marcie — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 18:11:45 +0000

I have made this with eggplant several times, and it’s always delicious. Last night I tried it with zucchini instead and it was *equally* delicious!! Thanks for sharing such a great (and relatively simple!) recipe.

By: KAS

KAS — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 23:58:57 +0000

I used 1 cup of rice, 1/2 cup lentils and 1/3 cup pine nuts and left out the meat (we’re vegetarians). I substituted a few shakes of cinnamon for the allspice because the allspice smelled to clove-ish and I don’t have much experience using it. And I used cilantro instead of the parsley since I think everything tastes better with cilantro. Result: delicious! This is definitely a keeper. My 10-year old daughter, who doesn’t like eggplant, ate it up, and I’m thinking of purchasing another dutch oven so that I can make it for company.

By: Portia

Portia — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 20:39:35 +0000

Beautiful! That’s almost exactly the way my Lebanese grandma makes it. Cute baby, too!

By: Vanessa

Vanessa — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 15:18:55 +0000

I have a ton of brown rice I would like to use for this. Any suggestions for how to substitute? Should I precook the brown rice separately or just increase the cooking time of the dish?

By: Rosette

Rosette — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 21:15:49 +0000

In my excitement, I stopped after you bought the eggplants and dove to comment. You just made sheikh el mehshe :) Wonderfully, I might add.

By: Rosette

Rosette — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 13:01:48 +0000

I’m Lebanese but, sadly, am extremely picky with eggplant. I’ll eat a few bites of baba ghannouj when and only when my mom makes it, or sheikh el mehshe (which is a gloriously tangysweetmeaty dish of roasted eggplants stuffed with meat, pine nuts, onions, and tomatoes served with rice). My mom is a beyond incredible cook, and I am proud (if not a little show-off-y) to say I kind of take after her.
Have you ever tried pickling them? I’ve never done it myself but have watched my mom do it every fall, and it goes something like this: You boil baby eggplants, split them open and hollow them out, wrap them in towels you plan on throwing out anyway, and put heavy things like pots filled with bags of dried beans on them overnight. The towels will drink up every last bit of moisture from the eggplants. Then you grind garlic, walnuts, and hot peppers and stuff the eggplants with the mixture. Stack them in jars, cut side up, and fill with olive oil.
By the way, I am obsessed – obsessed, I tell you – with smitten kitchen.

By: Lane

Lane — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:14:46 +0000

I made this last night and it was delicious! The tomato sauce made the dish. If I made it again I’d maybe increase the salt and spices of the stuffing. Also, I made this with larger eggplants – 3 medium-large ones – and each one was a perfect portion for dinner (alongside some brussel sprouts). Thanks!